24 Things You Should Declutter in 2024

This time of year I am always ready for a fresh start and a clean slate. The holiday decor is put away and I am ready for a fresh start. There is no better way to start fresh than with a good decluttering and this year is no different. 

As I think about the things I want to accomplish in my home in 2024, I know that one of them is maintaining a clutter-free home!

Right now my home is feeling a little more overwhelming than usual with the holiday influx of stuff, so I am updating my list of things you should declutter for 2024.

It’s a short list of just 24 things you should declutter. Anyone can do that! These items are fairly easy to tackle and will set you on your way to a 2024 clutter-free home. 

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. See more details here.

24 Things You Should Declutter This Year

Will you join me in starting the year off right and commit to decluttering these 24 things? If you pick two categories a month, by the end of the year you will have banished much of your clutter. 

1. Paper Clutter

I realize listing paper clutter first may scare you off. However, if you tackle this item first, it will be easy going from here on out. 

Even though I have some really good tips and tricks for conquering paper clutter, now and again the piles just sneak back up on you.

Paper clutter is one of those things that the longer you put it off, the harder it becomes. Do what you can to make the move to paperless in 2024 and the year will feel much lighter.

2. Extra pens and pencils

Now that your desk is clear from all that paper clutter it’s the perfect time to declutter some of those other desk items.

Pens and pencils are something that we tend to collect and are easy to declutter in 2024.

If you have a collection of extra pens and pencils or other school or office supplies consider donating them to a school district or after-school program. They are always in need of supplies like this.

3. Broken Items

This is an easy one! If you have things you’ve been holding on to that are not working, or working poorly, it’s time to get rid of them.

Go through your home and declutter all broken items, I promise you will not miss them! 

4. Home Decor

If you knew how much I love home decor, it wouldn’t surprise you that this is an area I struggle with. 

Truthfully I am pretty good about following the one-in-one-out rule regarding decor.

However, I’m not perfect so it does accumulate. Plus it’s sometimes hard to let go of some items. This is when I remind myself that one thing I don’t like is living in a messy cluttered home or having to move a ton of decor just to dust and clean.

So in 2024 I will again be picking my favorites and letting go of the rest.

5. Overstuffed areas

This may be a closet, a drawer, or even an entire room. When an area in your home becomes completely non-functional because there is just too much stuff, you know it’s time for all that stuff to go!

So if you find you have a space in your home that is overflowing with stuff, you know it’s one of the things you should declutter this year!

6. Furniture

As you begin to downsize you may find yourself with a few extra furniture pieces stored in the garage or basement. Furniture is one of those things that we tend to store away because we feel like they are still useful.

But let me ask you this — if you are not using them how useful are they really? What they are doing is taking up valuable space in your home.

Now is the time to donate or pass on any furniture items you are not currently using. If the items are valuable enough to make the effort to sell them worth it, you might make a few extra dollars.

7. Anything not used in the past year

As you go through your home, you will likely discover several items you just don’t use anymore. It’s time to pass them on.

If you have things you have not used in the past year this is the time to let them go.

Honestly, this is a good thing to do each year. Go through everything you know you have not used and get them out of your home!

You and your home will feel so much lighter.

8. Your junk drawer

We all have one. And most of them are filled with random miscellaneous things we don’t know what else to do with.

The next thing you know that junk drawer is overflowing. If that sounds like your junk drawer it’s something you’ll want to declutter in 2024.

9. Anything outgrown

Whether it’s clothing, toys no longer played with, or hobbies no longer loved, these are things you should declutter in 2024.

Try passing them on to someone who could use and love those items, and I promise it will feel great. Your home will be rid of the clutter and you’ll be blessing someone else. That’s a win-win.

10. Food storage containers

Do you have a cupboard full of plastic food storage containers and a ton of mismatched lids? If so, make 2024 the year you finally tackle and organize this area of your kitchen.

I did this a couple of years ago and let me tell you, it was a huge blessing. Investing in some stackable glass containers was so worth it. 

It is so nice not to go digging around and searching for the right size or matching lids. 

If your kitchen has too many plastic food containers and mismatched lids, 2024 is the time to let them go!

11. Unwanted gifts

Throughout the year, you may end up receiving a few unwanted gifts. If you don’t love it, won’t use it or it’s just creating clutter, you are under no obligation to keep it!

There are lots of things to do with unwanted gifts. The one thing you should not do is keep a gift out of obligation. After all, the person gave you the gift because they want to bless you, not make you feel guilty.

12. Plastic Shopping Bags

I’m not sure why I feel guilty about getting rid of those plastic shopping bags, but somehow I do.  However, when I learned I could donate them to our local thrift store it was a game changer.

If you have amassed a collection of plastic shopping bags, when you drop off some of the other things you should declutter in 2024 add in those plastic shopping bags. Your local donation center will put them to good use.

13. Extra linens

Do you have older worn-out towels in your linen closet? Now is the time to get them out of your home. Consider dropping them off at your local animal shelter next time you are out running errands.

In addition to decluttering extra towels, consider how many other linen items you have. There really is no reason to keep more than two sets of bedding for each bed in your home. You will never need more than that.

Storing extra linens actually takes up a lot of space. By decluttering the excess you will free up so much space in your home.

14. Coffee cups and mugs

To say I am a big fan of coffee is an extreme understatement. As a result someone almost always gets me a new coffee mug or two. While I very much appreciate the thought and love behind the gift, my cupboard does start getting crowded.

You very well may be relating to this. If so coffee cups are one of the things you should declutter in 2024.

I will be going through and picking my favorites and donating the rest. If you have extra dishes go ahead and add them in as well!

15. Extra kitchen tools

If it’s been a little while since you did a Kitchen declutter or received a few new items now is the time to declutter the extras. I promise your kitchen will feel amazing when you’re done.

Whenever new items come into my home you’ll want to let go of older items to make room for the new ones. Getting into this habit will ensure your home stays clutter-free in 2024!

16. Toiletry items

It’s easy for toiletry items to build up. Whether it is a build-up from products you tried but just didn’t work for whatever reason, or items that were given as gifts you should declutter what you don’t use.

Toss out any partially used products you didn’t like. Also, consider passing on or donating any items that are still new. 

Decluttering these toiletry items is an excellent way to give your bathroom a fresh start in the new year.

17. Expired medications

Going through your medicine cabinet annually is a good idea. Most medications expire after a year. You will likely find several products that have reached their expiration date.

This is a fairly quick job. Nevertheless, I recommend setting aside 30 minutes to go through and toss all expired items (including sunscreens). This makes it easy to organize what’s left and make a note of what needs replacing.

If you have expired prescription medication, make sure to dispose of it correctly. Many police and fire stations have drop-off locations for these items. Just don’t forget to remove the labels first.

18. Food you won’t eat or that’s expired

By the time the new year arrives, we tend to have extra food on hand from all of the holiday festivities. In addition, sometimes we buy things that turn out not to be our favorites and we prefer not to eat them again. Of course, expired food may also be added to the mix.

I think we all agree that wasting food is never a good thing, especially with the prices of food these days.

This is why I always do a food pantry cleanout. Basically, I limit grocery shopping and try to come up with as many meals as I can from what we have on hand.

For those items that do not get used during the pantry clean out, they get donated, unless of course they are expired. All expired items get tossed straight into the trash.

19. Clothing not worn all season

If you haven’t worn it all season long you’re not suddenly going to start wearing it now. After all, there is a reason you’ve chosen not to wear it.

Whether it’s because it doesn’t fit or flatter you there is no good reason to keep it. Plus, if you didn’t want to wear it all season long, it is very unlikely that you’ll ever choose to wear it. This is especially true with how quickly fashion styles change these days.

I promise you’ll feel so much better getting rid of these items than you will by keeping them in your closet.

20. Extra throw blankets

Nothing beats cuddling up on the couch during the cooler months with a cozy throw blanket, a warm cup of tea, and a good book. Because this is my happy place, I tend to collect cozy throw blankets.

On top of that friends and family like to give them to me as gifts because they know I enjoy them. While I do rotate some of them out, I also regularly purge ones that are no longer as soft and cozy.

This is another thing you should declutter in 2024 if you have more than you need or use. My favorite place to donate extra throw blankets is the animal shelter.

At the same time, I am sure there are many places where this type of donation would be most welcome. Places like homeless and women’s shelters are also great options.

21. Books

When it comes to things you should declutter in 2024 decluttering books is a touchy subject for some. There is a lot of emotional attachment to books. But you need to be honest with yourself, are you really going to read those books again?

Here’s something to keep in mind if you’re a book lover, decluttering the excess allows you to make room for more.

So spend some time going through your books. Consider donating the books you want to declutter to a local free library. Schools are another great option, many teachers have a classroom library they fill themselves. Those teachers would be happy to receive donations for their classrooms.

Just think, you’ll be clearing space in your home and blessing someone else at the same time.

While you are clearing out the books you may also want to clear out any CDs or DVDs. Almost all of these can be streamed online these days.

22. Craft supplies you didn’t use

If you’re a regular crafter or like to craft at certain times of the year it’s always a good idea to regularly clean out your craft supplies. 

You may have extra scraps and leftover pieces here and there. Go through those items and declutter the things you don’t have a plan for using in the foreseeable future. This should include any craft supplies the kids have.

This will make organizing what you have left much easier! 

23. Outdated Tech and extra cords and chargers

Did you get any new tech items in the past year? If so now is the perfect time to clear out the extras and the outdated cords and chargers.

These items can collect all over the house, so make sure to check drawers, closets, and cabinets for miscellaneous tech items you no longer need.

Old tech that no longer works should be taken to your local recycling center and older working items can be donated.

24. Excess Storage Bins

By now you’ve decluttered a ton of stuff from your home. Way to go!!

This likely means that you now have a number of extra storage bins and baskets you no longer need. Any storage bins that were previously storing your clutter have now become clutter themselves so it’s time to let them go. 

Gather all storage bins and containers that you are not currently using and donate them. Do not hold on to them thinking you might need them later. Doing that puts you into a mindset to collect more clutter. That is the last thing you want to do in 2024!

Choosing to declutter these things in 2024 will start your year off right. It will also make your home and life easier to manage.

If you want some quick wins to get you started, here are 45 things that you can throw out quickly!